The 13 Cycles
by Nukid
Summary: 13 cylces, 13 wars between Cosmos and Chaos, and hundreds of tales between comrades and enemies. These are stories of the warriors who lived through the cycles, battled through cycles, and died. Chapter 2: Garland/Auron: A Worthy Opponent
1. Tidus & Sazh: A Fathers Love

**Chapter 1:**

**Cycle No. 1: Tidus/Sazh: A Fathers Love**

"Watch this son! This is how a real man fights!"

Tidus made an irritable growl when he watched his bronzed skin, muscular Blitzball Ace Jecht smack an incoming Frost Lizard straight in the face, causing the creature to make a loud shriek before its inevitable death. It was the same thing every time he went out on missions with him. Jecht stood at the front, took out most of the monster they encountered, and taunted Tidus with any preceding chance.

Today, the Warrior of Light had sent Tidus out to patrol an area where a few Warriors of Chaos had been spotted. Perhaps they were just a small patrol group themselves, or perhaps Chaos minions were amassing a large group to invade their headquarters. It was their job to find out.

"Stupid old man…he just has to show off at every chance." Tidus growled, looking away from the cackling Ace. Tidus made it no secret that he hated his old man. He was loud, rude, arrogant and for some reason, a genuine asshole to him alone. It seemed his old mans two biggest hobbies were showing off and making his life hell.

And yet, this was their twelfth mission together. The Warrior of Light insisted on pairing them together when he assigned mission, and it infuriated Tidus. He would've coped working with Squall, with Vincent, even with Lightning! Anything was better than working with this stupid drunkard. He even asked the Warrior of Light if he could swap with another team, and be as far away from Jecht as possible.

It was then he found that Jecht had asked the Warrior of Light at the start if he could pair up with his son, and that sent Tidus off the deep end. It took Wakka, Zell, Snow & Bartz together to hold Tidus down and stop him from tearing his old mans throat.

Still, Tidus had one saving grace, and that was the man who accompanied the two on the mission. The brown skinned man, sporting a bright green jacket and a holster holding a gun on each of his side. Inside the bushy afro on his head, a small Chocobo Chick hid inside, popping out now and again, which had instantly made him a fan of the ladies, though Tidus couldn't help but imagine how much Chocobo dung was inside that afro…

The mans name was Sazh, and like Jecht, he was a father too, to a young boy named Dajh, who-to the father understandable relief, had not been summoned by Cosmos. Tidus had therefore never seen him around his son, but Tidus knew instantly that Sazh was the kind of father he wished he'd had growing up. He was kind, funny, considerate to everyone, and Tidus could tell that behind his sometime goofy persona, was a ma with a strong sense of justice and would go through hell and back to protect those he loved.

Tidus couldn't think of a better dad.

"You really hate your old man, don't ya?" Sazh asked with a small chuckle. He turned to look at Jecht, stroking his small beard "I hope my Dajh doesn't feel the same way about me when he's your age."

"As if he will! You're a great dad! Much better than that bastard up front!" Tidus proclaimed. Sazh chuckled nervously at the boys loudness. He was almost sure Jecht had heard that.

"I'm not that great. Back on my world, I let my son get cursed and doomed to a fate worse than death. I managed to save him, and myself, along with my friends, but it was a real close call" Sazh explained "point is, it was my fault my son got branded as a L'Cie. I should've protected him."

"Y-yea, but everyone's told me how far you went for him! Snow, Vanille, even Lightning commented how heroic you were!" Tidus insisted.

"Lightning too, huh? Guess I did do well if she's handing out praise" Sazh laughed "y'know, once you get to know her, she's actually quite a nice person."

Tidus found that incredibly hard to believe.

"And I think your dads quite the nice guy as well" Sazh added. Tidus just snorted and turned away.

"Sure, to everyone but me. It's like he thinks having son is like having your own clown to laugh at." Tidus growled. Sazh made a small sigh, rubbing his temple.

"I'm sure your old man loves you, y'know?"

"Pfft. My dad only loves three things: Blitzball, Boasting and Booze."

Sazh suddenly busted out with laughter, crossing his arms as he laughed, "you really don't have anything nice to say about your father. But even I can tell that your old man's constantly thinking about your safety."

"Oh really?"

"Yea. You remember a while back when you got injured?"

"Don't remind me…" Tidus grumbled with embarrassment. It was his first assigned mission in this war, and amongst, he'd been paired with Yuna. Actig like any typical boyfriend who wanted to show off to his girlfriend, Tidus went running straight to take out every single enemy first.

He'd been in a coma for a whole week afterwards.

"I heard your girlfriend Yuna never left your side once, so I heard. She's a sweet girl, you're pretty lucky to be with her" Sazh pointed out. Tidus blushed and looked away. He couldn't disagree there. Yuna was everything to Tidus, and he would give up anything for her.

He once gave up his life for hers…only for her to bring him back to her.

"The thing is though…your old man never left your side either."

"HUH?" Tidus shrieked, spinning around to the much older man. He bore a face of extreme shock; there was no way someone like his arrogant, abrasive old man would ever do something like that.

"Yea. I heard he stood by your side, next to Yuna, watching over your silently while you slept like a guardian angel, only leaving when you were about to wake up. If that ain't a dedicated and loving father, then what is?"

"Bu-bu-but I-I don't get it!" Tidus exclaimed, rubbing his head with both hands as he frantically paced back and forth. He couldn't believe any of this "why didn't my dad say anything? Why hasn't Yuna? Why hasn't ANYONE said anything about it?"

"Your old man told us all not to, saying something like 'I don't want that crybaby blubbering over me' or something like that. He'll probably choke me to death when he found out I told ya" Sazh chuckled with a hint or nerviness.

"It's just…I don't get it" Tidus sighed, slumping his shoulders "he's never shown me that kind of care before, so why now?"

"Y'know, I find that hard to believe. I bet you he's been looking out for you since day one" Sazh commented, folding his arms "in fact, if you ask me, he asked the Warrior Of Light to partner up with you on all those missions not so he could make fun of you, but so he could protect you."

"Huh? But…why?"

"Why else? To look after the most important thing in his life, his son" Sazh explained. Tidus remained silent, taking in all the former L'Cie had told him. After a moment, all it seemed Tidus could do was chuckle softly.

"You know what's most annoying? If he wasn't such an ass and a pathetic drunk…I would look up to my old man more than anyone else" Tidus admitted "he's everything I wanna be and more…so why has he always pushed me away? Why am I the one person he doesn't want to get praise from?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but…" Sazh said slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. He started to walk forward again, following the great Jecht as he continued to stroll forward.

"…I think it's because you're his son, and a father doesn't need praise from his son. All a father needs is to known his son is safe. I mean come on, why do you think Jecht is at the front, taking out all the enemies for us?"

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed! If there's any oneshots you'd like to see, feel free to request!<strong>


	2. Garland & Auron: A Worthy Opponent

**Chapter 2:Garland/Auron: A Worthy Opponent**

_**Cycle 5 **_

Long had Garland accepted his fate within this seemingly never-ending cycle of battle. Tied to the god of discord Chaos in ways unbelievable to most, Garland knew that no matter how far both sides of the war got, all their efforts would be in vain. Shinryu, the Divine Dragon, would descend upon the world and restart the cycle, continuing the way once anew. If anything changed, it was the number of combatants, being shortened every cycle when the opposing warriors didn't kill them, but were killed by fiends summoned by them.

In that regard, if Garland was trapped in an endless cycle of battle, he decided he might as well enjoy every second of it.

Garland often searched for Warriors of Cosmos that matched his personal criteria's: Was physically strong, did not rely too much on magic, and most importantly, did not have some form of pathetic trauma that made their blades go dull, and their skills weaken due to self doubts.

Suffice to say, Garland often had problems finding the right opponent.

It wasn't completely hopeless for the knight. There was always the his long time foe, the Warrior of Light, but Garland could see the doubt created from this war ever grow on his sullen expression. Once or twice he had managed to spar with the one known as Jecht, who proved to be both powerful and more than happy to oblige a battle. There had also been that Basch fellow who had been quite impressive, though he had only fought him once, and even then Garland could see the trauma behind the hard face of the disgraced knight.

And of course, he couldn't forget that Steiner fellow. Strong, determined, and seemingly too stupid to hold doubt. That brave man was truly one of a kind.

But, as Garland stood on top of one of the tall cliffs in the Lunar Subterrane, searching for any Warriors of Cosmos down below, Garland remembered a warrior he had met in the cycles many times before, and at that, one of the finest fighters he had ever seen in his life.

**_Cycle 1…_**

_It was inside the rift that Garland first met him, pacing down the corner of the castle with a casual pace whilst Garland looked down from atop the castle. He __wore a deep red haori with blue lining, kept closed with a thick, black and blue strap with two brown belts wrapped around it._ _He tucked his left arm into the front of his haori, making it look as though his arm was in a sling. In his right he carried a mighty sword, held beside his right shoulder, his never leaving its hilt, ready to strike at any moment._

_Auron studied the lone mans face, and was impressed. The scar down his right eye proved he was a battle hardened man, but the stoic, calm face showed a man with cool composure and unrelenting experience behind his figure. Garland did notknow his name, but astrong urge to face this man in combat was all he needed to jump off the ledge of the castle and land fairly near the mysterious warrior. _

"_Warrior of Cosmos" Garland boomed at the man "you walk alone in Chaos territory? Pray tell, are you so confident in your skills as a warrior?"_

_The red haori dressed man stopped in his tracks, but did not turn around straight away to face Garland. Garland heard the man chuckle slightly, and saw him turn his scarred side head toward the knight "I'm merely taking a stroll across this world we call a battlefield. Do the gods disallow an old man the pleasure of an afternoon stroll?"_

"_An afternoon stroll?" Garland couldn't help but chuckle "do you take this war so lightly? Many of my allies could've come instead of me and skipped the pleasantries I'm making with you and would've attacked you by now."_

"_In that case, they'd be dead right now." The man stated firmly, turning right around to face him. Garland saw the smirk on his hard face "it seems like you've only delayed your own with your talk."_

_Garland felt his fingers trembled, not from anger, but with excitement. He raised his goliath of a sword and pointed it at the red haori dressed man "that is some arrogance you have, old man. Allow me the honour of smashing it to bits."_

"_The honour is yours…" the man suddenly pulled out his left arm from his cloak and held his sword with both hands "…if you can take it."_

_With a war cry, Garland sprang forward and sent his sword swinging with the momentum. Despite the overwhelming size, the man was able to block the sword with his own, not struggling much to keep the giant sword of Garland back. With a push, the man threw Garlands sword and arms into the air, and quickly retracted his blade to send flying straight into the chest of Garland._

_Roaring, Garland threw his arms down, and the blade of his opponent hit the heaviest part of the sword, only denting the monstrous sword. Spinning it in his hands like it was weightless, Garland managed to get it over his head once more and swung it down with incredible force. The red haori dressed warrior jumped to the side, but Garland expected that, and reached for the hidden handle inside his sword. A small chunk of the huge sword came out with its own handle, and Garland swung it at the mans head._

_Slightly surprised by the new blade, the man nevertheless reacted quickly despite his age and ducked under the small blade. With a circular motion, he swung his sword at Garland's unguarded chest, forcing the Warrior of Chaos to jump back and dodge. Without hesitation Garland jumped back into the fray._

_Garland and the red haori dressed man clashed swords man than three dozen times, playing an almost tug of war like match, with each constantly pushing the other back. They matched each other for speed and power. With mighty swings, their swords clashed a final time with such impact it sent the two flying backward. The two quickly regained their balance and then stood still, panting to recover lost breath, both seemingly surprised by the others._

"_Splendid Warrior of Cosmos!" Garland boomed with a laugh "truly excellent! You matched my strength flawlessly!"_

"_Hmph, and you're a lot faster than you look" the red dressed haori man grunted, his face a smile. Cracking his neck, he held his sword with both hands once more "so then, shall we continue?"_

"_Indeed we shall!" Garland roared, and the two charged at each other once more._

* * *

><p>After his spar with that man, Garland was filled with an exhilaration that could only be found from the mightiest of battles. As soon as his wounds had healed, Garland had set out to find the man once more, and challenge him once again. Alas though, Shinryu descended down from the sky and restarted the war for the 1st of many times, and Garland was unable to get his much wanted rematch.<p>

That was, until the 2nd cycle…

_**Cycle 2…**_

_Garland met the man this time in the World of Darkness, this time with a bunch of companions by his side. A loud and obnoxious girl by the name of Selphie, a silent and smug looking Queen known as Ashe, and one of the many Cids participating during the cycle, this one with blonde hair, a cigarette in his mouth, and a spear in hand. _

_Garland was excited to see the fine warrior once more, but he was also disappointed that the man would not remember him. Unlike the Warriors of Chaos, the Warriors of Cosmos seemed to have all lost their memories of the previous cycle, and blindly assumed that this was their first time being summoned. The blind fools._

_However, to Garlands pleasant surprise, the red haori man remembered Garland when he confronted the group, and after ordering the other three to leave (the fact this man could command these three-one being a Queen at that!- was more than enough proof of this mans authority), the two warriors battled once more._

_With a mighty thrust by the Red haori dressed man, Garland was forced stumbling back by the strength of his attack. As soon as he regained his balance however, he span his sword in his arms and sent it slamming down to the ground. The old Warrior of Cosmos was forced to jump back and dodge the mighty blow._

"_How honoured I am you remember me, Warrior of Cosmos!" Garland laughed, lifting his giant sword back up "pray tell, how is it you remember me whilst all your comrades have forgotten me?"_

"_Huh, only a fool would forget an opponent as strong as you!" the man said with a loud growl, charging down past the numerous pillars with his hands on the swords hilt._

"_Well spoken Warrior of Cosmos!" Garland roared, suddenly making a swinging motion with his sword. Suddenly, a large part of the sword flew out along with a huge chain attaching the two parts. Despite its size, the chain sword flew over the heads of the two warriors within a matter of seconds, and smashed all of the nearby pillars, causing them to fall around the charging Warrior._

_The red haori dressed man did not slow down for a second, but simply lifted his sword up and slashed every single piece of falling debris that was about to hit him. When he was finally free, the man jumped into the air, and sent his sword crashing down towards Garland. Garland had quickly brought his sword back together, and swung upwards at the man._

_And the two battled gloriously once more._

**_Cycle 3…_**

_Garland did not meet the man in this cycle. Garland remembered this cycle being relatively uneventful and honestly boring._

**_Cycle 4…_**

_Garland met the man this time in a most perfect and fitting setting; in the midst of an invasion._

_Garland had to give Cosmos and The Warrior of Light credit; it was a well-planned invasion of the Old Chaos Shrine, the base of the Warriors of Chaos. The Warriors of Cosmos had split up into much smaller groups, and attacked their base from several different angles. Had they come together, the Warriors of Chaos would've noticed them much sooner, but by splitting up they had caught them by surprise. Garland was impressed._

_It was in the midst of this invasion that Garland found the man once more, standing at the bottom of the ramp whilst he was at the top. The two stared silently whilst several of Chaos's summoned fiends were killed, and Garland believed he saw the warriors known as Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly kill Ultimecia. Garland would see her in the next cycle._

"_An impressive invasion, Warrior of Cosmos" Garland boomed down to the old man "it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm not surprised to see you participating in this fine battle."_

"_Well I can't let these kids show me up. An old man like me still has quite a bit of fight left in him" the haori man said, readying himself once more._

"_Frankly sir, you're skills outmatch any other I've met in this endless war" Garland stated, readying himself as well "you are truly a one of a kind."_

"_Thanks for the compliment, but I didn't walk all this way for that" the man said "I came here to end this war once and for all." _

"_And end all the fun? I think not!" Garland roared, jumping high into the air, once again defying his size. Whilst in the air, his massive sword changed to an axe-like shape, and he held it over his head, sending it crashing down with him. Garland saw the old man draw his sword back, blood red energy pulsating around him, and he jumped up to the face Garland in the sky._

_And the two battled their grandest fight yet._

* * *

><p>"So, we meet again."<p>

Garland turned around to see the red haori dressed man standing silently behind him once more. Garland faced him, a smile hidden behind his helmet.

"Ah we meet again old man" Garland said, not trying to hide his amusement "this'll be our fourth battle, will it not? I wonder, is it fate that bring us two together? Fate is truly kind sometimes." Garland laughed loudly.

"As battle hungry as ever I see. Well, I can respect that in a man" the man chuckled, stretching his neck "come to think of it, you and I have yet to actually beat the other. Perhaps this one may decide it once and for all."

"Oh, I hope not" Garland chuckled. As the man readied, Garland held up a hand "wait. Before we begin…may I ask for your name? I am quite embarrassed to say that after all this time, I still do not know it."

"Hmph, I guess you've earned that privilege" the man grinned "my name…is Auron."

"Auron. It has been a great pleasure meeting you Sir Auron. Now, let us battle once more, good friend!"

And so, the two Warriors charged at each other once more, and began their fourth battle, and they did not fight because of hatred for each other, or even to end the war.

They fought for the thrill of battle, and out of deep respect for each other.

**Hope you all enjoyed! Sorry for the wait, horrid Writers block -_-. Stay tuned for hopefully much quicker updates! **

**TBOC: I'll definitely consider Lightning/Cecil. Thanks for the request!**


	3. Zell & Quina: Hot Dogs & Frogs

**Chapter 2: Zell/Quina: Hot Dogs & Frogs**

_**Cycle 1**_

When fighting the Warriors of Chaos and their various summoned servants, it was no surprise that large amounts of at least decently cooked food was provided for Cosmos's soldiers. So on the first day of the war, Cosmos asked if one of her warriors would like to become the chef of their large group.

Quina jumped at the chance.

So, whilst the various Warriors of Cosmos worked on missions, Quina usually stayed in the cafeteria of their base, which was in fact one of the Gardens from the world of Squall Leonhart and his allies. Cosmos transported it there because it suited all their needs; it was spacious, enough sleeping quarters and equipment, and could be moved if necessary. Quina had no problem making enough for food for all her allies with what he/she was given.

So, Quina spent most of his/her day in the large cafeteria, waiting for any Warriors of Cosmos to enter, wanting a bite to eat. On this certain day, Quina had yet to see many people. So far, he'd only seen the charming pirate Balthier, who always complemented his/her looks on the seemingly 50/50 chance Quina was a girl, and Cloud Strife, who usually seemed uncomfortable and unsure on how to talk to Quina. Quina liked the shy type.

A few hours later however, and from the entrance came the blonde, spiky haired youngster with a strange tattoo on his face known as Zell. Zell was one of the few martial arts specialists amongst Cosmos forces, and despite his age could hold his own against the likes of Yang and Tifa. When he saw Quina at the front, he gave him/her a smile and a casual salute "Yo Quina! What's shakin'?"

"Zell. Nice to see you. Nothing shaking at moment" Quina replied in her usual tone of manor. Zell was about to point out what he meant by that phrase, but he decided it wasn't worth it and simply walked up to the counter.

"Right, right. Well then Quina, I'll have two Hot Dogs if you don't mind!" Zell asked, pointing up two fingers for emphasis.

Quina bobbed his/her head to side, his/her tongue flapping with it "Hot…Dogs?"

"Um…yea, two Hot Dogs please!"

Though his/her expression never changed, it was clear to see Quina was confused "We Qu never heard of such delicacy. Much less make them."

Zell sighed sadly "so you…don't have any Hot Dogs?"

Quina shook his/her head "no Hot Dogs. Have Hot Frogs though."

"Hot…Frogs?"

"Yes. Hot Frogs. Just made new batch" Quina ducked under and lifted up a sizzling tray holding the cooked frogs, all lined up in rows of four. Zell looked down at the tray, and seemed to go purple at the sight of the cooked frogs.

"Yuck! No way am I trying those! What else ya got?"

"Well…we have Frog stew, Frog sandwich, Frog soup, Frog pizza, Frog ice cream and Frog pudding." Quina recited.

"…Do…do you have anything that's not got frogs in it?" Zell asked nervously

"…I can make toast."

"GAAAH!" Zell screamed, holding his head in his hands as he screamed. He threw his fists on the counter and leaned forward "this is insane Quina! You can't just give everyone frogs! Heck, I've had hot dogs at the Gardens before! Hell, they're real easy to make!"

Quina was silent for a moment, before replying, "Do you think…I could make Hot Dogs?"

"Sure!" Zell said enthusiastically "you're a great cook Quina, and Hot Dogs are a piece of cake! It would be like taking candy from a baby for you!"

"Hmm…" Quina considered this for a moment, before looking at Zell and nodding "very well Zell. I shall make Hot Dogs. Come back later and they will be ready."

"Awesome!" Zell roared, pumping his fist into the air "I can't wait! I'm sure they're gonna taste great!"

_**2 hours later…**_

"Zell!"

Zell turned around as he saw Rinoa Heartilly running up towards him. When she caught up to him, he knelt down, panting heavily as if she'd been running all around the Garden. Zell had been heading for cafeteria, but he stopped to talk to her "hey Rinoa. You okay?"

"Have…you…seen…Angelo anywhere?" Rinoa asked between breaths, referring to her pet dog "I can't find him anywhere…I think he might've gotten…lost."

"Sorry Rinoa, I ain't seen him" Zell replied. He rubbed his chin in concentration for a moment "hmm, maybe he's following that Freya chick, since she kinda looks like a dog. Or maybe-"

CRASH.

Both Zell and Rinoa turned to the entrance of the cafeteria, where the crash had come from. Quickly, the two ran to the entrance to see if everything was okay. However, what they saw left them both gaping and speechless, and made Rinoa go pale.

Quina held Angelo in his/her hands, and was trying to force the moaning and fidgeting dog into the Oven.

"Be still dog!" Quina growled "Quina spent long time trying to catch you! Must cook you quick to make Hot Dogs!"


End file.
